I often receive e-mails asking me to name the seven dwarfs. The seven dwarfs are only named in the Disney film of the story, not in the traditional tales I provide on this site. However, if you want the name of Disney's seven dwarfs, they are:

Happy
Grumpy
Dopey
Doc
Sneezy
Sleepy
Bashful

The limited edition DVD and video are available on Amazon:

The story
of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and its themes have appeared in literature and
other forms of art. This page provides a small discussion of some of the
better known treatments by authors and other artists.Novels produced by romance publishers are not listed on this page, but can be
found on Romance Novels: Fairy
Tale Romances at Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

NOVEL: Fantasy. From the publisher: "Arriving from the human world--and fulfilling Dylan's prophesy--Suisan instills fear in the bitter dwarf, Adrian, and desire in the youngest dwarf, Roan, who obtains a magic growth potion in order to grow tall enough to bewitch the human woman."

NOVEL: From the publisher: "When lightning strikes! From the moment we heard the idea about a club of stepdaughters forming to wreak revenge on their evil stepmothers, we felt all jittery and happy inside. The best stories are those which derive from a great literary tradition, but have an original voice and a narrative twist all their own. Hello, Lily Archer! Although still in a master of arts writing program, she is a born writer. Her wickedly funny novel will capture you from its first page. But be forewarned, it is her heartfelt characters that will ensure this novel's place on bookshelves for decades to come. We all know the stories of Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel. But have you ever heard of Alice Bingley-Beckerman, Reena Paruchuri, or Molly Miller? Of course you haven't. Not yet. But here's something you should know. What these girls have in common with their fairy-tale sisters is this: They are the stepdaughters of three very evil stepmothers. And they're not happy about it. They think they are alone in their unhappiness until they arrive at Putnam Mount McKinsey, a posh boarding school located in lovely, rural Massachusetts. Here is where they will plot their revenge. But first, they have to meet. In her first novel, Lily Archer tells a knowing, unforgettable story about how friendship just may turn out to be more happily-ever-after than family."

Baker, E.D. The Bravest Princess: A Tale of the Wide-Awake Princess. New York: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books, 2014.Amazon.com: Buy the book inhardcover.

NOVEL: From the publisher: "Sleeping Beauty's younger, non-magical sister, Annie, still can't rest while trouble in the kingdom threatens her good friend, Snow White. Snow White's evil stepmother has disappeared, and her father wants her married off right away--but who should she choose? How can she tell which prince is best? It's Annie and her good friend Liam to the rescue! A hilarious and and fantastical romp through a fairy tale landscape from beloved author E D Baker."

NOVEL: Barthelme's treatment of the tale has become a cult favorite for fairy tale enthusiasts. The publisher has graciously rereleased the title. An inventive, satiric modern retelling of the classic fairy tale provides an incisive and biting commentary on the absurdities and complexities of modern life.

Buckley, Michael. The Sisters Grimm: The Unusual Suspects.New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2005.Amazon.com:Buy the book inhardcover.

NOVEL: From the publisher: "Sabrina and Daphne find out they are descendants of the Brothers Grimm, who were actually detectives of the magical phenomenon perpetrated by the Everafters, a parallel race of magical beings. They soon learn it is the Grimm family's legacy to keep the Everafters in line and the two sisters are the sole heirs to this challenge! In the Sisters Grimm Book Two: The Unusual Suspects , the girls start school with Snow White as their teacher and soon discover a plot pitting mortal children against immortal parents-they must do everything they can to stop it!"

Charles, Veronika Martenova. It's Not about the Apple! New York: Tundra Books, 2010.Amazon.com:Buy the book inebook or paperback.

NOVEL: Here are five first books for fledgling readers that offer the enjoyment of a good story along with the thrill of accomplishment that comes from independent reading. Written in short, easy phrases with carefully selected vocabulary and plentiful illustrations, each book helps youngsters achieve success as they have fun. The series follows three friends who love to share stories. In each book, one is reminded of a well-known story: Little Red Riding Hood in It's Not About the Hunter!, Beauty and the Beast in It's Not About the Rose!, Snow White in It's Not About the Apple!, Cinderella in It's Not About the Pumpkin!, and Hansel and Gretel in It's Not About the Crumbs! As one friend starts, the others are reminded of versions they know so each volume has three stories within one framework. The stories come from around the world, and Veronika Martenova Charles provides a note at the end of each book to describe the origins.

NOVEL: Mirabelle's past is shrouded in secrecy, from her parents' tragic deaths to her guardians' half-truths about why she can't return to her birthplace, Beau Rivage. Desperate to see the town, Mira runs away a week before her sixteenth birthday—and discovers a world she never could have imagined.

In Beau Rivage, nothing is what it seems—the strangely pale girl with a morbid interest in apples, the obnoxious playboy who's a beast to everyone he meets, and the chivalrous guy who has a thing for damsels in distress. Here, fairy tales come to life, curses are awakened, and ancient stories are played out again and again.

But fairy tales aren't pretty things, and they don't always end in happily ever after. Mira has a role to play, a fairy tale destiny to embrace or resist. As she struggles to take control of her fate, Mira is drawn into the lives of two brothers with fairy tale curses of their own . . . brothers who share a dark secret. And she'll find that love, just like fairy tales, can have sharp edges and hidden thorns.

NOVEL: Black as Night: A Fairy Tale Retold tells the familiar story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves with a twist: it's set in the South Bronx of New York City, and the seven dwarves are seven friars who work among the inner-city poor. (Yes, they have beards.) Blanche Brier, age nineteen, noted for her white skin and black hair, is on the run, and no one, not even her boyfriend Bear, can figure out where she's hiding or why. All Blanche knows is that an unexpected summer friendship has made her a jealous enemy. While Blanche searches for answers and Bear searches for Blanche, the youngest friar, Brother Leon, befriends the lost girl and uncovers a twisted and deadly plot.

Geras, Adele. Pictures of the Night. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1992.Amazon.com:Buy the book inpaperback.

NOVEL: A synopsis from Amazon.com: "In a modern version of the Snow White fairy tale, eighteen-year-old Bella is plagued by a series of mysterious accidents while singing with a small band in London and Paris during her summer break from school, and believes them to be caused by her jealous, malevolent stepmother."The entire trilogy is: The Tower Room (Rapunzel), Watching the Roses (Briar Rose), and Pictures of the Night (Snow White).

NOVEL: From the publisher: Two sisters. One a witch and a queen. The other transformed by her sister's touch into a mirror--a mirror with voice and memory and magic, but no power to transform herself back to the girl she once was. And then, mysteriously, the queen disappears and another girl finds the mirror. This girl has troubles of her own, but she is also a means to escape and soon the girl and the mirror are on their way to find the magic that will bring both pain and hope to both of them.

NOVEL: A synopsis from Amazon.co.uk: It makes perfect sense that Snow White should live with seven samurai, once you've got the hang of Tom Holt's latest twisted fantasy comedy. Youngsters from our real world hack into fairyland's Mirrors operating system--which naturally runs on the wicked queen's magic mirror--and crash it so disastrously that all the stories get tangled. A spaghetti-western Dwarf With No Name (actually he's Dumpy) is hired to save three little pigs from the big bad wolf by recruiting a Magnificent Seven Dwarves' defence team, starting with Rumpelstiltskin and Tom Thumb but goingdownhill from there. Meanwhile, Fang the wolf has problems with Frog Prince transformations, Snow White learns from her own mirror that she has excellent wicked-queen potential and Baron Frankenstein's latest unholy creation proves to be Pinocchio. We also meet three colour-blind mice, the Beast fleeing in terror from Beauty, an elf who insists she's an "Indigenous Fairylander" and the Grimm Brothers--unconvincingly claiming that they're mere independent observers. After which, things become really complicated and silly, as Storyland is further fragmented by various mirror-users' efforts to gain control, until it seems quite reasonable that one little pig should find himself saying, "I am not a number. I am a free pig." Splendidly deranged entertainment, with quips galore. Holt's in good form.

NOVEL: From the publisher: "Snow White might be jinxed -- but at least she has the other grimmtastic girls to count on! Once upon a time, in faraway Grimmlandia. . . Snow White is having terrible luck. Her stepmom, Ms. Wicked, always puts her down, and is a member of the E.V.I.L. Society that is threatening Grimm Academy. Snow's new friend, Prince Prince, seems to be around for all her most grimmbarrassing moments. And Snow, Red, Cinda, and Rapunzel have been searching the castle for the treasure they know is hidden there, but it's nowhere to be found. Can Snow find her own magical charm, end her bad luck, and protect the school from E.V.I.L.?"

NOVEL: Dictatorial Grimoire is an all new three-volume manga series that reimagines characters straight out of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales. Dictatorial Grimoire puts an edgy spin on beloved classic characters, with a focus on Cinderella, Snow White, and Little Red Riding Hood. Each book in the trilogy is presented in an oversized edition that features impressive shoujo-styled artwork and color inserts.

Grimm Otogi, a farflung descendant of the renowned Grimm Brothers, has always regarded the fairy tales his ancestors concocted as pure fiction. Unfortunately for the introverted half-Japanese teen, he is about to discover that the Grimm legacy is anything but pure...

Upon receiving a posthumous letter from the dead father he never knew, Otogi transfers to a new school and moves into an abandoned mansion as part of his inheritance. There, he finds a manuscript that reveals the truth about his ancestors: the Brothers Grimm made a deal with mystical beings known as the Märchen Demons, who now have a claim on Otogi’s life. With a dashing male Cinderella as his guide, can Otogi Grimm unlock the power of the manuscript and stop the fairy tale demons before they destroy him first?

Lackey, Mercedes. The Serpent's Shadow. New York: DAW Books, 2001.Amazon.com:Buy the book inhardcover or paperback.

NOVEL: From Amazon.com: Mercedes Lackey returns to form in The Serpent's Shadow, the fourth in her sequence of reimagined fairy tales. This story takes place in the London of 1909, and is based on "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." Lackey creates echoes of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, pays affectionate homage to Dorothy Sayers's Lord Peter Wimsey (who plays an important role under a thin disguise), and turns the dwarves into seven animal avatars who masquerade as pets of her Eurasian heroine, Maya.

Lee, Tanith. White as Snow. New York: Tor Books, 2000.Amazon.com:Buy the book inhardcover or paperback.

NOVEL: From Amazon.com: In an alternate-history medieval Europe, the noble maiden Arpazia, raised in an isolated castle, finds herself the captive of the conquering general-king Draco. The only remnant of her former life is an exotic glass mirror possessed of witchy powers. She feels no connection to Coira, daughter of her forced marriage to the brutal Draco. She becomes the lover of a woodsman, Klytemno, who embodies the divine Hunter King in pagan rituals. Then Klytemno requires her to send her black-haired, snow-pale daughter Coira into the woods as a sacrifice.... (An installment in the Fairy Tale Series edited by Terri Windling.)

NOVEL: From publisher: "In the kingdom of Ayortha, who is the fairest of them all? Certainly not Aza. She is thoroughly convinced that she is ugly. What she may lack in looks, though, she makes up for with a kind heart, and with something no one else has–a magical voice. Her vocal talents captivate all who hear them, and in Ontio Castle they attract the attention of a handsome prince – and a dangerous new queen. In this masterful novel filled with humour, adventure, romance, and song, Newbery Honor author Gail Carson Levine invites you to join Aza as she discovers how exquisite she truly is."

Lynn, Tracy. Snow. New York: Simon Pulse, 2003.Amazon.com:Buy the book in paperback.

NOVEL:In a tiny Welsh estate, a duke and duchess lived happily, lacking only a child -- or, more importantly, a son and heir to the estate. Childbirth ultimately proved fatal for the young duchess. After she died, the duke was dismayed to discover that he was not only a widower, but also father to a tiny baby girl. He vowed to begin afresh with a new wife, abandoning his daughter in search of elusive contentment.

Independent -- virtually ignored -- and finding only little animals and a lonely servant boy as her companions, Jessica is pale, lonely and headstrong...and quick to learn that she has an enemy in her stepmother. "Snow," as she comes to be known, flees the estate to London and finds herself embraced by a band of urban outcasts. But her stepmother isn't finished with her, and if Jessica doesn't take control of her destiny, the wicked witch will certainly harness her youth -- and threaten her very life....

NOVEL: In Mirror Mirror Snow White is called Bianca de Nevada. She is born on a farm in Tuscany in 1495, and when she is seven, her father is ordered by the duplicitous Cesare Borgia to go on a quest to reclaim the relic of the original Tree of Knowledge, a branch bearing three living apples that are thousands of years old. Bianca is left in the care of her father's farm staff and the beautiful -- and madly vain -- Lucrecia Borgia, Cesare's sister. But Lucrecia becomes jealous of her lecherous brother's interest in the growing child and plots a dire fate for Bianca in the woods below the farm. There Bianca finds herself in the home of seven dwarves -- the creators of the magic mirror -- who await the return of their brother, the eighth dwarf, long gone on a quest of his own.

Mason, Jane B. and Sarah Hines Stephens. Princess School: Who's the Fairest?. New York: Scholastic, 2004. Amazon.com:Buy the book inpaperback.Amazon.co.uk:Buy the book inpaperback.

NOVEL: From the publisher: The Maiden Games are fast approaching. The Princess School will compete against the mean Grimm School witches and Snow White's very own wicked stepmother will be one of the judges. Will Snow's closest friends be enough to get her through this second installment?

Mlynowski, Sarah. Whatever After #1: Fairest of All. New York: Scholastic Press, 2012.Amazon.com:Buy the book in ebook or hardcover or paperback.

NOVEL: A fresh, modern spin on a classic fairy tale--from bestselling author Sarah Mlynowski! Mirror, mirror, on the basement wall . . . Once upon a time my brother and I were normal kids. The next minute? The mirror in our basement slurped us up and magically transported us inside Snow White's fairy tale. I know it sounds crazy, but it's true. But hey -- we're heroes! We stopped Snow White from eating the poisoned apple. Hooray! Or not. If Snow White doesn't die, she won't get to meet her prince. And then she won't get her happy ending. Oops. Now it's up to us to: - Avoid getting poisoned - Sneak into a castle - Fix Snow White's story And then, fingers crossed, find our way home.

NOVEL: From the publisher: "In the winter of 1953, Boy Novak arrives by chance in a small town in Massachusetts, looking, she believes, for beauty—the opposite of the life she’s left behind in New York. She marries a local widower and becomes stepmother to his winsome daughter, Snow Whitman. A wicked stepmother is a creature Boy never imagined she’d become, but elements of the familiar tale of aesthetic obsession begin to play themselves out when the birth of Boy’s daughter, Bird, who is dark-skinned, exposes the Whitmans as light-skinned African Americans passing for white. Among them, Boy, Snow, and Bird confront the tyranny of the mirror to ask how much power surfaces really hold."

NOVEL: From the publisher: "After her boyfriend dumps her for her older sister, sophomore Savannah Delano wishes she could find a true prince to take her to the prom. Enter Chrissy (Chrysanthemum) Everstar: Savannah’s gum-chewing, cell phone–carrying, high heel-wearing Fair Godmother. Showing why she’s only Fair—because she’s not a very good fairy student—Chrissy mistakenly sends Savannah back in time to the Middle Ages, first as Cinderella, then as Snow White. Finally she sends Tristan, a boy in Savannah’s class, back instead to turn him into her prom-worthy prince. When Savannah returns to the Middle Ages to save Tristan, they must team up to defeat a troll, a dragon, and the mysterious and undeniably sexy Black Knight. Laughs abound in this clever fairy tale twist from a master of romantic comedy. "

St. Crow, Lili. Nameless: A Tale of Beauty and Madness. New York: Razorbill, 2013.Amazon.com:Buy the book inebook, hardcover, or paperback.

NOVEL: When Camille was six years old, she was discovered alone in the snow by Enrico Vultusino, godfather of the Seven—the powerful Families that rule magic-ridden New Haven. Papa Vultusino adopted the mute, scarred child, naming her after his dead wife and raising her in luxury on Haven Hill alongside his own son, Nico.

Now Cami is turning sixteen. She’s no longer mute, though she keeps her faded scars hidden under her school uniform, and though she opens up only to her two best friends, Ruby and Ellie, and to Nico, who has become more than a brother to her. But even though Cami is a pampered Vultusino heiress, she knows that she is not really Family. Unlike them, she is a mortal with a past that lies buried in trauma. And it’s not until she meets the mysterious Tor, who reveals scars of his own, that Cami begins to uncover the secrets of her birth . . . to find out where she comes from and why her past is threatening her now.

Scarborough, Elizabeth Ann. The Godmother. New York: Ace, 1994.Amazon.com:Buy the book inpaperback.

NOVEL: From Amazon.com by the author:

The author, Elizabeth Ann Scarborough , April 14, 1999
Were Fairy Godmothers the Social Services Workers of Old?

"My friends in social services made me think of writing The Godmother. As a Vietnam vet, I began to see that a lot of my fellow vets thought the war was the only place where great battles were fought, but living next door to and downstairs from social services workers and hearing some of their stories convinced me that they are on the front lines of the civilian wars, trying to save children, princesses not living happily ever after, paupers, and other characters right out of fairytales, but without the benefit of magic. So what if one of them could invoke his or her fairytale counterpart, the fairy godmother? What similarities would a godmother find in the situations of modern day people to those problems she waved her wand over once upon a time? It was great fun to play with the fairy tales. I'd like to warn people that this is not, for all its fairytale setting, a children's book and some readers have found the Hansel and Gretel/Bluebeard parable a little too disturbing for their entertainment tastes. Since my research shows that originally fairytales were probably the newstories of their day and no more savory than the ones we read in our papers, I felt that this story needed to be part of Rose and Felicity's experience. But since it DOES have magic, you can expect that everybody gets to live happily ever after."

Turgeon, Carolyn. The Fairest of Them All. New York: Touchstone, 2013.Amazon.com:Buy the book inebook or paperback.

NOVEL: In this kingdom, only one fairy tale can end with happily ever after.

In an enchanted forest, the maiden Rapunzel’s beautiful voice captivates a young prince hunting nearby. Overcome, he climbs her long golden hair to her tower and they spend an afternoon of passion together, but by nightfall the prince must return to his kingdom, and his betrothed.

Now king, he weds his intended and the kingdom rejoices when a daughter named Snow White is born. Beyond the castle walls, Rapunzel waits in her crumbling tower, gathering news of her beloved from those who come to her seeking wisdom. She tries to mend her broken heart but her love lingers, pulsing in the magic tendrils of her hair.

The king, too, is haunted by his memories, but after his queen’s mysterious death, he is finally able to follow his heart into the darkness of the forest. But can Rapunzel trade the shadows of the forest for the castle and be the innocent beauty he remembers?

Valentino, Serena. Fairest of All: A Tale of the Wicked Queen. New York: Disney Press, 2009. Amazon.com: Buy the book in hardcover.

NOVEL: From the publisher: "For anyone who's seen Walt Disney's Snow White, you'll know that the Wicked Queen is one evil woman! After all, it's not everyone who wants to cut out their teenage step-daughter's heart and have it delivered back in a locked keepsake box. (And even if this sort of thing is a common urge, we don't know many people who have acted upon it.) Now, for the first time, we'll examine the life of the Wicked Queen and find out just what it is that makes her so nasty. Here's a hint: the creepy-looking man in the magic mirror is not just some random spooky visage-and he just might have something to do with the Queen's wicked ways!"

Yolen, Jane. Snow in Summer: Fairest of Them All. New York: Philomel, 2011.Amazon.com:Buy the book inhardcoveror ebook.

NOVEL: From the publisher: "With her black hair, red lips, and lily-white skin, Summer is as beautiful as her father's garden. And her life in the mountains of West Virginia seems like a fairy tale; her parents sing and dance with her, Cousin Nancy dotes on her, and she is about to get a new baby brother. But when the baby dies soon after he's born, taking Summer's mama with him, Summer's fairy-tale life turns grim. Things get even worse when her father marries a woman who brings poisons and magical mirrors into Summer's world. Stepmama puts up a pretty face, but Summer suspects she's up to no good - and is afraid she's powerless to stop her. This Snow White tale filled with magic and intrigue during the early twentieth century in Appalachia will be hard to forget."

Donoghue, Emma. "The Tale of the Apple." Kissing the Witch: Old Tales in New Skins. New York: Harper Collins, 1997. Amazon.com:Buy the book inhardcoveror paperback.

SHORT STORY

Duffy,Carol Ann. "Snow White." Rumpelstiltskin and Other Grimm Tales. London: Faber and Faber, 1999. Amazon.com:Buy the book inpaperback.Amazon.co.uk:Buy the book in paperback.

Also available in:
Duffy,Carol Ann. "Snow White." Collected Grimm Tales. Dramatization by Tim Supple. London: Faber and Faber, 2003. Amazon.com:Buy the book inpaperback.Amazon.co.uk:Buy the book in paperback.

Duffy,Carol Ann. "Snow White." More Grimm Tales. Dramatization by Tim Supple. London: Faber and Faber, 1997. Amazon.com:Buy the book in paperback.Amazon.co.uk:Buy the book inpaperback.

Bennett,Bruce. "The True Story of Snow White." The Poets' Grimm: 20th Century Poems from Grimm Fairy Tales. Jeanne Marie Beaumont and Claudia Carlson, editors. Ashland, OR: Story Line Press, 2003. p. 177.Amazon.com:Buy the book in paperback.

Bennett, Bruce. "The True Story of Snow White." Real Things: An Anthology of Popular Culture in American Poetry. Jim Elledge, editor. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1999.

Broumas, Olga. "Beauty and the Beast." Beginning with O. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1977.Amazon.com:Buy the book inhardcoveror paperback.

Also available in:
Broumas, Olga. "Snow White." Disenchantments: An Anthology of Modern Fairy Tale Poetry. Wolfgang Mieder, ed. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 1985.Amazon.com: Buy the book inhardcoveror paperback.

Dahl, Roald. "Snow-White And The Seven Dwarfs." Revolting Rhymes. New York: Puffin Books, 1982. Amazon.com:Buy the book in hardcover or paperback.

Also available in:
Dahl, Roald. "Snow-White And The Seven Dwarfs." Disenchantments: An Anthology of Modern Fairy Tale Poetry. Wolfgang Mieder, ed. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 1985.Amazon.com: Buy the book inhardcoveror paperback.

Gray,Alice Wirth. "Snow White and the Man Sent to Fetch Her Heart." The Poets' Grimm: 20th Century Poems from Grimm Fairy Tales. Jeanne Marie Beaumont and Claudia Carlson, editors. Ashland, OR: Story Line Press, 2003. p. 199.Amazon.com:Buy the book in paperback.

Hay, Sara Henderson. "One of the Seven Has Somewhat to Say."Story Hour. Fayetteville, AS: University of Arkansas Press, 1998. Amazon.com:Buy the book inhardcoveror paperback.

Jarrell, Randall. "The Ways and the Peoples." The Complete Poems. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1969; repr. 1989.

Kirsch, Sarah. "Already the Air Smells of Snow." German 20th Century Poetry. Reinhold Grimm and Irmgard Hunt, editors. New York: Continuum, 2000.

Koertge, Ron. "The Seven Dwarfs, Each on His Deathbed, Remember Snow White." Stand Up Poetry: An Expanded Anthology. Charles Harper Webb, ed. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 2002.Amazon.com: Buy the book in paperback.

Locklin, Gerald. "The Dwarf." Disenchantments: An Anthology of Modern Fairy Tale Poetry. Wolfgang Mieder, ed. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 1985.Amazon.com: Buy the book inhardcoveror paperback.

"Suddenly one day the mirror replied,
Queen, you are full fair, 'tis true,
but Snow White is fairer than you.
Until that moment Snow White
had been no more important
than a dust mouse under the bed.
But now the queen saw brown spots on her hand
and four whiskers over her lip
so she condemned Snow White
to be hacked to death."

I have listed primarily
classical compositions of music using the themes of this fairy tale in
either ballet, opera or some other musical style. I have also provided
links to popular recordings of the music when available at Amazon.com.
The advantage to these links is that you can listen to samples of the
music at no charge.

Stephen Sondheim. Into The Woods.

In 1986, Into the Woods hit Broadway and enjoyed great success. The musical incorporates many fairy tale characters and plots including Snow White. I have included the Broadway and London casts' recordings below. An excellent site about this musical is at Into the Woods.

ANIMATED FILM: This 1937 film is almost dizzying in its meticulous construction of an enchanted world, with scores of major and minor characters (including fauna and fowl), each with a distinct identity. When you watch Snow White's intricate, graceful movements of fingers, arms, and head all in one shot, it is not the technical brilliance of Disney's artists that leaps out at you, but the very spirit of her engaging, girl-woman character. When the wicked queen's poisoned apple turns from killer green to rose red, the effect of knowing something so beautiful can be so terrible is absolutely elemental, so pure it forces one to surrender to the horror of it.

"Offering a screwball twist on the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, this delightful comedy has grown dated since its release in 1941, but that only adds to its everlasting charm. Written by the ace screenwriting team of Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett and directed by Howard Hawks, the movie presents a breezy case of opposites attracting when nightclub singer "Sugarpuss" O'Shea (Barbara Stanwyck) is recruited to teach jazzy slang to a group of culturally isolated professors. Gary Cooper plays Bertram Potts, the straight-laced scholar who's compiling slang for a new encyclopedia, and his equally stodgy colleagues are fascinated when Sugarpuss and "Pottsie" seem to be warming up for romance. Complications ensue when the savvy singer must distance herself from her mobster fiancé (Dana Andrews), and Ball of Fire takes a wacky turn when the klutzy intellectuals take on the mobster's henchmen. It's all a bit quaint by today's standards, but the movie's got a wealth of witty dialogue and sassy appeal, with Stanwyck leading the way in a role that's equal parts tough exterior and soft-hearted vulnerability." (IMDB.com)

Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs (1943). Robert Clampett, director.

ANIMATED SHORT: Far from politically correct. "So White flees from the wicked Queenie, wins over the thugs from Murder Inc. and meets her overrated Prince Chawmin'. Spoof of 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)' with an all-black cartoon cast. Many WWII references, including rationing (the evil Queen is a hoarder of sugar and rubber tires) and Jeep vehicles (the Sebben Dwarfs come to the rescue in three of them). One of the "Censored 11" banned from TV syndication by United Artists in 1968 (then the owners of the Looney Tunes film library). Ted Turner continued the ban when he was hired and stated that these films will not be re-issued and will not be put on home video. These cartoons will probably never air on television again, and only non-Warner Bros. licensed public domain video tapes will probably ever have these cartoons on them." (IMDB.com)

ANIMATED SHORT: The Fractured Fairy Tales segment became a popular part of the first season of the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show (known under various names through the years) that premiered in the fall of 1959. They have remained in syndication ever since. Snow White originally aired in Episode 22 of Season 1.

Snow White and the Three Stooges (1961). Walter Lang, director.Amazon.com: Buy it onVHS.

Many Stooges fans will find Snow White and the Three Stooges painful going, while some might find it quite charming. The film was conceived as a vehicle for Carol Heiss, the 1960 Olympic figure skating champion, but it was obvious that her limited acting would not carry the classic plot very far. So the Three Stooges were substituted for the Seven Dwarfs, and Prince Charming (Edson Stroll) became their companion. The start and end of the film follow the Disney version fairly closely, with Patricia Medina providing the only real acting as the Wicked Queen, abetted by the reliable villainy of Guy Rolfe.

"Modern version of Snow White fairytale. Girl Katka is frustrated and restless. She escapes from home and find herself in the orphanage. Seven orphan boys hide her and call her "Princess". But Katka is soon uncovered and her frantic mother is on the way..." (IMDB.com)

From Sony Pictures: "Mirror, mirror, on the wall who's the fairest storybook heroine of them all? Snow White! Sarah Patterson (The Company of Wolves) stars as the fabled slumbering beauty while Emmy winner Diana Rigg ("The Avengers") serves up some "delicious comic villainy" (Variety) as the wicked stepmother who's consumed by vanity in this thrilling live-action adaptation of the classic Brothers Grimm tale.

"After her jealous stepmother (Rigg), the queen, tries to have her killed, Snow White (Patterson) runs away into the forest, where she finds refuge with seven kindly dwarves. But when the queen discovers she's still alive, she decides to destroy her rival herself using clever disguises. Finally, a poisonous apple does the trick  or so she thinks  until the handsome prince arrives to save Snow White!"

TV SERIES: Snow White and Prince Charming fell asleep in the Enchanted Forest... they woke up in Burbank! Snow White, Prince Charming and their family are transported through time to the present day. They try to fit into normal society, despite their unfamiliarity with technology.

Into the Woods (1991) (TV). James Lapine, director.Amazon.com: Buy it onVHS or DVD.

FILM OF ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST PRODUCTION: A baker and his wife journey into the woods in search of a cow, a red cape, a pair of golden slippers and some magic beans to lift a curse that has kept them childless. Tony Award winners Bernadette Peters, Joanna Gleason and the rest of the original Broadway cast weave their magic spell over you in Stephen Sondheim's masterpiece, directed by James Lapine, a seamless fusion of fairy tale characters and what happens after "happily ever after." With oft-recorded songs such as "Children Will Listen," "No One is Alone," and "Into the Woods" is a music lover's delight from start to finish--and will forever cement Stephen Sondheim's unparalleled position as the giant of the American musical theater.

Not for kids! "Based somewhat more authentically on the Grimm Brothers' story of a young woman who is unliked by her stepmother, the film includes the talking mirror, a poisoned apple, and some ruffian gold (not diamond) miners (and they aren't dwarfs or cute). It takes place at the time of the Crusades, and depicts the attitudes of the wealthy and the peasant classes toward one another." (IMDB.com)

3 Misses (1998). Paul Driessen, director. Netherlands. Also known as Three Misses.

SHORT FILM: Parody. Three interlocking tales of damsels in distress. An urban scene: a man sees a woman fall off the roof of the neighboring apartment building. A Western scene: a cowboy hears a woman tied to the railroad tracks and an approaching train. And a fantasy scene: seven dwarfs, reading the tale of Snow White, sense a witch passing by with a poison apple. Each races to save their respective "miss" (and sometimes get involved with the stories of the others); each runs into a staggering number of obstacles along the way (including a steadily dwindling supply of dwarves). Who will succeed? (IMDB.com)

Willa: An American Snow White (1998). Tom Davenport, director.
Amazon.com: Buy it on DVD or VHS.

Cast:
Becky Stark .... Willa

Davenport Films, an independent film company, has a wonderful short film titled Willa: An American Snow White which has appeared on PBS. Please follow these links or click on the photo still to visit their website and learn more about this film. Davenport's movies are some of the best renditions of folklore on film.

"Willa places the ancient "Snow White" story in a realistic America setting about 1915. The jealous queen is Regina Worthington, an aging beauty whose stage career has soured. Snow White is her beautiful and talented stepchild Willa. The cottage of the seven dwarves has been changed into a traveling medicine show run by a failed Shakespearean actor named Dr. Alfonzo and his two odd-ball companions a flamboyant Irish Indian called Chief Tonka, and a dancing dwarf named Billy Bug. They sell Chief Tonka's Elixir of Life a highly alcoholic concoction that is supposed to reverse aging." (IMDB.com)

The 10th Kingdom (2000) (TV). David Carson and Herbert Wise, directors.Amazon.com: Buy it onVHS or DVD.

This epic 10-hour miniseries was a ratings bust on television Kimberly Williams is Virginia, a waitress who still lives with her janitor father (John Larroquette) and yearns for something exciting to happen to her. Her wish comes true when she and her father are transported from New York City into the nine kingdoms populated by characters from fairy tales of yore. They team up with a dog who's really a prince--Wendell, grandson of Snow White--changed into canine form by the evil Queen (Dianne Wiest), who plots to usurp Wendell's throne. Father, daughter, and his royal dogness are relentlessly pursued through the nine kingdoms by the Troll King (Ed O'Neill) and his three bumbling and horrible children, and the conflicted Wolf (Scott Cohen), who is allied with the Queen but tames his inner beast and falls in love with Virginia. The 10th Kingdom is a special effects extravaganza. There is indeed, as one character marvels, magic to behold here. But despite the Hallmark brand name and the presence of a grown-up Snow White (Camryn Manheim) and Cinderella (Ann-Margret), bewitched animals, magic mirrors, and trolls, this is not kid's stuff. It can get scary, surprisingly violent, and quite intense; you know, just like real fairy tales.

Snow White: The Fairest of Them All (2002) (TV). Caroline Thompson, director.Amazon.com: Buy it on DVD or VHS.

Born from a drop of blood in a flutter of apple blossoms, Snow White (Kristin Kreuk) is the blessing of a loving peasant couple, John (Tom Irwin) and Josephine (Vera Farmiga) - although her birth brings with it a curse of death and starvation. Salvation comes unexpectedly when John's tears melt the frozen tomb of a bewitched creature, the Green-Eyed One (Clancy Brown), who grants him three wishes: nourishment for Snow White, a kingdom and a queen. But John's cause for celebration is short-lived. The Green-Eyed One has devious plans to please his own family. Owing his loathsome spell-casting daughter, Elspeth (Miranda Richardson), a long-awaited wish, he encourages her desire for the throne with a kingdom to rule, a king to belittle and a young stepdaughter to toy with and destroy at will. The castle awaits. A looking glass is calling. And a fairy tale like no other begins....

SHORT FILM: "Storybook characters Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Goldilocks, Alice, Dorothy, and Red Riding Hood are in group therapy dishing and dealing with what comes after "happily ever after." When Clara, a New Jersey divorcee, joins the group, she finds out that while life is no fairy tale, it doesn't mean her dysenchantment has to be terminal." (IMDB.com)

The Horseless Prince (2003). Tim Oliehoek, director. Netherlands.

SHORT FILM: "The seven year old Pim is fascinated by the Fairytale of "Snow White". Especially the part where the Prince is kissing Snow White is his favourite. Then one day his mother dies in a car accident. The little boy is really confused when he sees his dead mother lying in the morgue, but thinks to have a solution for this problem. He writes a letter to the Dutch crown prince Willem Alexander. Pim is convinced by the fact that this prince will wake up his mother by giving her a kiss." (IMDB.com)

ANIMATED FILM: "In RUGRATS: TALES FROM THE CRIB: SNOW WHITE, Angelica Pickles takes on the role of the Evil Queen in this version of the fairy tale classic, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. In this exciting adventure, the beautiful princess (Susie Carmichael) and her adorable dwarf-babies (The Rugrats) foil the queen and show the entire kingdom that friendship conquers all."

FULL-LENGTH PLAY: First produced at the Portland, Oregon, Junior Civic Theatre, this version of the famous fairy tale broke all box office records for two years. The prince and the mirror, both enchanted by the Dark Queen who sends Snow White to perish in the forest, are involved in the action from the beginning. The prince, disguised as a jester, finds the courage to break the spell and with the help of the Seven Dwarfs saves Snow White.

MUSICAL: Children's musical. This enchanting version of the classic story is designed to teach children the joy of being on stage. It is perfect to be performed by and for elementary school children.

Lapine, James. Into the Woods. Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Book by James Lapine. London: Josef Weinberger.Buy the book in paperback.

MUSICAL: A bewitching crew of classic characters romp through a "happily ever after" kingdom in this musical fairy-tale. Interweaving a hilarious mix of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, the Baker's Wife, Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel in a multi-layered plot which ends happily in Act One, the musical then explores "happily ever after" in Act Two as previous actions come home to roost - with a vengeance!

SHORT PLAY: Based on an original story by Bob May. Beanie Boren, a science wiz who is not keen on reading, has designed a book-reading machine for the science fair. It combines a computer, a mini-video cam and a contraption of his own design to enable one to read three books at once. Unfortunately, the machine is neither user-friendly nor bug-free. When Beanie turns it on, lights flash, thunder booms and out pop the witches from Snow White, Hansel and Gretel and the The Wizard of Oz, each set to wreak havoc! Beanie must get them back into the books with help from the good guys in the same stories. Afterward, he is eager to read about his new friends—the old-fashioned way.

Melfi, Leonard. Times Square.In Encounters. New York: Samuel French.

SHORT PLAY: This romantic, surrealistic, modern fantasy takes place during a twenty-four hour period on New York's Forty-second Street. Seven lovable misfits encounter a modern version of Snow White when she descends from a golden ladder. She saves them; she is destroyed senselessly and they are destroyed automatically; she is brought back to life and they are all saved.

Montley, Patricia. "Snow White and the Anti-Freeze." Not So Grim Fairy Tales. New York: Samuel French.

SHORT PLAY: Satire. Five scenes present unusual variations on familiar tales. In "Little Red and the Big Bad She Wolf," Red is invited by Mae Wolf to quit Harvard Business School and get a start in the service-selling business—despite Granny's opposition (she is Mae's senior partner). In "Bumble Stiltskin and the Baby Business," Rumpel's put-upon wife implores the Queen to keep her royal baby and offers to set up a Day Care Center if she gets government support. Also included are "Snow White and the Anti-Freeze," "Jack and the Marijuana Stalk," and "Cinderella."

Rael, Elsa. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.Book and Lyrics by Elsa Rael. Music by Michael Valenti. New York: Samuel French.

MUSICAL: This sprightly version of Snow White ran over three years at New York's Theatre East, a record unprecedented in the history of children's theatre. It has played to the delight of children of all ages from Toronto to Los Angeles to Miami. The exceptional score and the caring relatedness of the young girl and the dwarfs distinguishes this version.

''A thoroughly diverting and remarkably tuneful variation of the famed classic . . . bursting with invention, originality and, perhaps most extraordinary of all, a musical score that ranks with much that is heard in the major Broadway houses.''—Players Magazine

FULL-LENGTH PLAY: All the characters you love are here: Snow White; the seven funny little men; the absent-minded king, King Absent Minded; Bella, his new wife, part queen, part witch, but far more funny than frightening; her servant, the frantic Maid Dim Witty; and the handsome and conceited Prince Goodhearted. There are some new characters, too, created for this dramatic version—Snow White's animal friends and the fascinating Miss Time, whose father, Father Time, started the whole Once Upon a Time business.

Walser, Robert. "Schneewittchen (Snow White)." Robert Walser Rediscovered: Stories, Fairy-Tale Plays, and Critical Responses. Mark Harman, editor. Walter Arndt, translator. Hanover, NH : Published for Dartmouth College by University Press of New England, 1985.Buy the book in hardcover.

MUSICAL: This family musical contains a zany, wisecracking Mirror who will only answer if spoken to in rhyme, as well as a whole court full of funny and bubbling characters. It hums with 14 lively songs, including a scary forest ballet. Snow White runs away from the evil Queen and seeks refuge with seven little miners. But the Queen and her sister, a once-powerful witch, need "a locket from the pocket of a princess that is pure." They come after Snow White, but Mirror leads members of the Queen's court into the woods to thwart their evil plans. The Queen is trapped in an ugliness spell and forced to remain that way, as the entire court reminds her (in a rousing gospel song), "You're the mirror of every deed that you do!"

SHORT PLAY: The handsome version of the famous fairy tale as presented in New York. Supposedly disposed of by the wicked queen, Snow White finds her way to a happy glen and the home of seven friendly dwarfs. A deadly apple casts her into a deep sleep, from which she is revived in time by her devoted prince.